Research on the Penetration of a Potassium-Based Electrolyte into Dry Barrier Materials

Experiments on the penetration characteristics and mechanism of KF-AlF3-Al2O3 and NaF-KF-AlF3-Al2O3-X electrolytes into dry barrier materials were carried out. The results show that the penetration of the pure potassium cryolite electrolyte (KF-AlF3-Al2O3) is mainly physical, and the main penetrating substance is KAlF4. The anti-penetration ability of normal barrier materials to the pure potassium cryolite electrolyte is poor. For the NaF-KF-AlF3-Al2O3-X based electrolyte with KF content of 18.39%, when the content of NaF was increased, the penetration depth was significantly decreased. For the electrolyte with the molar ratio of 1.37 and the KF content of 18.39% (NaF-KF-AlF3Al2O3-X), the dry barrier with Al2O3/SiO2 ratio of 0.6-0.69 had better anti-penetration ability. A layer of quartz or alumina on the surface of barrier materials could also effectively improve its anti-penetration ability.